Myanmar was as soon as nearly unattainable to go to—that is after I went the primary time. The yr was 2010, the nation was a world pariah and being there felt like a visit again in time.
Then, it opened up, and everybody was going. Bagan, with its temples and sizzling air balloons, appeared to change into nearly as attainable as Ayutthaya and Angkor Wat. Then, on account of ethnic cleaning and the imprisonment of the lady as soon as thought to be the one hope for the nation’s democracy, the nation change into a pariah once more—and abruptly, going there was controversial (if not as tough because it was once).
Mandalay
Your Journey Information to Myanmar
I visited each of Myanmar’s fundamental cities on my first journey to the nation—which, as I defined throughout the intro to this piece, came about in late 2010. Again then, leaded automobiles had been as widespread the roads as ones that took unleaded gasoline; you needed to go to an web cafe to entry (a really censored model of) the web and there was a profound sense of disconnection between native folks and the surface world. I may write a paper about it (and, as you’ll have seen if you happen to clicked the hyperlink above, I kind of did!).
Yangon was the place I arrived, and the place my journey started. If I’m sincere, I wasn’t an enormous fan of town as an entire, though it was tough to disclaim the fantastic thing about its large Shwedagon Pagoda. Mandalay, then again, was extra overtly charming, even with out excursions to look at sundown from Mandalay Hill or behind U-Bein Bridge. Oh, I additionally almost died from meals poisoning, although I’m unsure whether or not meals in Yangon or Mandalay had been guilty.
Evaluating Mandalay and Yangon
Vibe
Yangon is loud, noisy and soiled—there’s simply no method round it. Whereas there are locations (effectively, one specifically) you can escape this, in typically I think about it a metropolis to be endured, to not be loved. Mandalay, against this, has a walkable and charming city middle, by no means thoughts all of the tour choices.
Points of interest
With regards to Mandalay vs Yangon, there may be barely extra nuance with this piece. On one hand, Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda is arguably one of many architectural gems not solely of Myanmar, however of Southeast Asia extra broadly. In Mandalay, it’s extra in regards to the range of sights, with my private favourite being Mahamuni Paya temple and the Mandalay Hill sundown spot.
Pure panorama
Yangon is flatter than Mandalay, which is smart as a result of it’s so near the coast. Mandalay, then again, options attractive, rolling hills throughout it—which, even if you happen to don’t head as much as Mandalay Hill to look at sundown as I counsel above, makes for gorgeous views in all instructions.
Transportation
Unsurprisingly, neither Yangon nor Mandalay has a well-developed public transportation community. You’re principally on the mercy of pick-up truck taxis, motorbikes and tuk-tuks if you happen to don’t simply stroll all over the place, which is fortunately attainable (although not at all times pleasant, particularly within the case of Yangon) in each metropolis facilities.
Day Journeys & Excursions
Mandalay is surrounded by a trio of lovely villages—Sagaing, Inwa and Amarapura, with the latter being residence to the long-lasting U-Bein Bridge. With Yangon, in the meantime, the one real looking “day journey” you possibly can take is to Shwedagon Pagoda—which, once more, is within the metropolis—you possibly can’t actually name it a “day journey.”
Yangon
Different Myanmar Locations
Have longer in Myanmar than the 3-5 days it’s going to take to discover Mandalay, Yangon and the assorted sights inside day-trip distance of them? Contemplate visiting these different prime spots:
- Bagan: Residence to actually hundreds of temples, this can be a picturesque place the place it’s worthwhile to stand up on the first light for a sizzling air balloon trip.
- Inle Lake: In order for you a pure break, in the meantime, sit back right here for just a few days—clearly, there are many boat rides you possibly can take.
- Mergui Archipelago: These islands are, for my part, the easiest in Southeast Asia, though they’re unsurprisingly very tough to succeed in.
- Naypyidaw: Do you know that Yangon shouldn’t be the capital of Myanmar? Neither did I, till comparatively just lately. Naypyidaw is…an attention-grabbing metropolis, to say the least.
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Myanmar aka Burma: A Poorly Understood Journey Vacation spot
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications comparable to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the best way. His weblog, Go away Your Every day Hell, gives a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays masking the extra esoteric elements of life as a traveler.
